Dr. Kirk Walker, retired headmaster of McCallie School; Attorney Neal Thompson; Jim Ogden, speaker; and Retired US Army Special Forces Colonel Ben Bedford, related to Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forest
Jim Ogden, former superintendent of the Chattanooga National Military Park and now the park historian, spoke to the local Chattanooga Civitan Club. His presentation was about the medical conditions of Chattanooga during the Civil War and the effect it had on the city, its residents, and the hundreds if not thousands of wounded and sick soldiers that were here from 1861-1865.
Mr. Ogden said that Chattanooga was a place of suffering, with wounded soldiers housed in various churches, and also patients in 17 crudely-made wooden hospital structures that were built on the southern part of Cameron Hill. Also, every local church had wounded soldiers within their walls. The homes of many private citizens also housed the wounded.
He spoke of a Confederate doctor, Samuel H. Stout, who was brought to Chattanooga by the high command during the war. Dr. Stout was a great administrator, medical doctor and surgeon. For the first time, Dr. Stout organized the various local hospitals (crude by today’s standards) and implemented procedures for treating patients that were to be followed by all medical staff of doctors, nurses and attendants. The procedures also assigned doctors and nurses to the vast numbers of hospitals treating sick and wounded soldiers in Chattanooga.
The Union Army took over Chattanooga in the early months of 1863. Chattanooga had previously been a Confederate city. Dr. Stout, who was also a high officer in the Confederate Army, ordered the many local hospitals in the Chattanooga area that were under his command to move into safer areas in North Georgia before the Union troops occupied the town. These hospitals continued throughout the Civil War in others areas, such as the various towns in North Georgia.
Mr. Ogden handed out copies of various photos of structures of the hospitals on Cameron Hill, buildings such as the Crutchfield House. The Civil War shed, built in 1858, was tragically torn down in 1966, across the street from the Reed House, at the same site as where the old Crutchfield Hotel was located. Also were old photos of war time Chattanooga of the St. Paul’s and Cumberland Presbyterian Church located in downtown Chattanooga.
The very interesting luncheon ended with a huge applause for the speaker.